Analysis of the Prevalence of Lumbar Annular Tears in Adult Patients Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data

Mohammad  Davoudi; Rahman S.  Zabibah; Andrés Alexis  Ramírez-Coronel; Ali Hussein Demin  Al-Khafaji; Acim Heri  Iswanto; Gholamreza  Ataei; Elham  Yousefi; Fatemeh Zahra  Nosrati; Danial  Fazilat-Panah

doi:10.18502/fbt.v11i2.15333

Mohammad Davoudi Department of Medical Radiation Engineering, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Rahman S. Zabibah Medical Laboratory Technology Department, College of Medical Technology, The Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq
Andrés Alexis Ramírez-Coronel Azogues Campus Nursing Career, Health and Behavior Research Group (HBR), Psychometry and Ethology Laboratory, Catholic University of Cuenca, Ecuador
Ali Hussein Demin Al-Khafaji Department of Laboratories Techniques, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Babylon, Hillah, Iraq
Acim Heri Iswanto Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Science, University of Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia
Gholamreza Ataei Radiotherapy Physics Department, Babolsar Oncology Hospital, Babolsar, Iran
Elham Yousefi Department of Radiology, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
Fatemeh Zahra Nosrati Radiotherapy Physics Department, Babolsar Oncology Hospital, Babolsar, Iran
Danial Fazilat-Panah Cancer Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/fbt.v11i2.15333

Keywords: Prevalence; Annular Tears; High-Intensity Zone; Low Back Pain; Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the lumbar annular tears prevalence regarding the patient’s history factors, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) recorded data.

Materials and Methods: In this study, 218 patients (106 men and 112 women) were evaluated; 136 cases (63 men and 73 women, 20-80 years, mean: 45.4±14.8 years) with Lower Back Pain (LBP) and High-Intensity Zone (HIZ) were diagnosed based on MR images. The diagnosed annular tears from the MRI data, Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m²), and physical activity of the patients were recorded, and the prevalence of lumbar annular tears was evaluated regarding the mentioned parameters.

Results: The prevalence of annular tears was 31.6% at L5/S1 (43/136 patients), 43.4% at L4/L5 (59/136 patients), 16.9% at L3/L4 (23/136 patients), 4.4% at L2/L3 (6/136 patients), and 3.7% at L1/L2 spinal disc space (5/136 patients). Most patients with annular tears had LBP (>60%). Based on the patient's history, 25% of patients had BMI above 30, 8.8% had post-traumatic history, 15.4% had a history of falling down, 19.1% had slipped down history, 16.2% were athletes, and 15.4% performed heavy work.

Conclusion: The prevalence of lumbar annular tears was higher in patients having LBP and a BMI over 30, which should be considered possible risk factors. This study demonstrated that annular tears are more likely to occur in lower lumbar discs, especially in L4/L5 and L5/S1 discs.